As the adage goes, don't buy a $10 helmet unless you have a $10 head. Despite the sad state of the devalued U.S. dollar and the shameful popularity of shows like The View, most heads are still probably worth at least $11. Surely, safety equipment is something that should never be taken for granted, and nothing enhances survivability in a performance car more than a quality rollcage. A vicarious lifestyle of trying to dupe the tech inspector might seem cool when you're 17, but as any racer will tell you, walking out of the car under your own power is the number one priority. Going fast comes second. Besides, lifting after the eighth-mile marker-or getting booted off the track after just one pass-is as lame as it gets. So if you have the power and grip to warrant one, don't be a cheap, inglorious loser. Get a cage.

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Over the past several months, the skilled craftsmen at Bill Buck Race Cars in Austin, Texas, have installed the suspension and built a stout 8.8 rearend for our '93 Mustang project car. However, their true specialty is in custom chassis fabrication, as evidenced in high-profile drag machines, such as Mike Murillo's 2,900hp Outlaw 10.5 Mustang. While Project Fox won't make anywhere near that much power, its 775 ponies are more than adequate to reach our goal of 9-second e.t.'s. According to the NHRA rulebook, cars running quicker than 10.00 or faster than 135 mph in the quarter-mile must be equipped with a 10-point rollcage, so we had Buck build us one out of chrome-moly. Of course, there are very stringent stipulations in terms of how the cage must be built, which Buck graciously explained to us during the build.

Granted, a bolt-in cage would have been sufficient for our needs, we felt the additional strength of a custom weld-in unit was well worth the extra expense. Given that every car and every application is slightly different, a custom cage allows for a tighter, more polished fit. "It's hard to quantify exactly how much stronger a weld-in cage is than a bolt-in cage, but just about everyone agrees that welds make for a more solid structure. Bolts are designed to handle tensile loads, not lateral loads," Buck explains. Nonetheless, custom cages require additional labor, and opting for chrome-moly tubing instead of mild steel only makes matters worse. However, since Project Fox's big-block conversion will certainly tack on its own share of extra pounds, minimizing the weight gain associated with a cage is hard to dispute. "In a typical 10-point cage like this, chrome-moly will be about 40 pounds lighter than mild steel. Most people only think about weight savings, but chrome-moly is also stronger," Buck says. As you'll see, building a custom cage isn't a job for a novice, or even those who are somewhat competent with a welder. It takes time and a whole lot of practice, so in most instances it's best left to a pro fabricator.